A question of values : why we need art and design in higher education

Contemporary higher-education institutions are currently confronted with a range of vexing issues related to the market, funding and quality. These issues are having a profound impact on art and design disciplines in universities in relation to funding cuts and pressures to develop new approaches to teaching. At the heart of the current focus on creative disciplines such as art and design is a critically important debate about values. By addressing a series of key questions, this article argues that there is value in art and design disciplines in higher education. Value theory is used to provide a framework to show how value is attributed and influenced by external forces and based on beliefs, attitudes and judgements. Such a framework creates a way of understanding value in higher education and how art and design disciplines are situated within it. Through the lens of values and value theory, this article further supports the case for art and design in higher education.